Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to reduce online gambling among under 18s.

Protecting children and the vulnerable from being harmed or exploited by gambling is a core objective of the regulation of gambling in Great Britain, and a priority for the Government.

Online gambling operators must carry out age verification checks for any UK resident who deposits money using any type of payment method other than a credit card. If the checks do not confirm that the customer is of a legal age to gamble, the operator must return any deposits made and must not pay out any winnings.

The Gambling Commission is actively reviewing how protections such as age verification can continue to be strengthened, and has recently taken action to require online gambling operators to remove advertising on websites or in third party media likely to appeal particularly to people aged under 18.